Tag: safety

It’s that time of year again! After a long winter of slogging out miles on the treadmill, the ladies are again venturing outdoors. It won’t be long until we’re flooded with articles reminding us of the many ways these ladies are asking to be attacked by creeps every time they leave the house. You know the ones telling women they should never run without varying their routes, or bringing mace, a phone, that plastic claw-thing that turns them into Cat Woman, their barbed … uh … inserts, and their Rottweilers?

But the research suggests there are more sure-fire ways for women to run safely and here they are.Read more >>

I couldn’t wait to move here. I’d looked at average temperature for January, and it looked like I could run without risk of frostbite almost all season long. I dreamed of winter running, imagining how wonderful it would feel to be in shorts whilst the rest of the world retreated to the treadmill.

I was willing to put up with heat and humidity to have year-round running temps. I was excited to be moving to a small town where surely — surely — I could run without risk of bodily harm. Even though sidewalks aren’t common in the small-town south, I erroneously assumed that there would be roads here with a shoulder deep enough to run or roads less traveled where I could run without playing frogger.

I was wrong.

There is exactly one bike lane in town, approximately a mile long, where I can safely run from my downtown home. I have to run on the bike lane and not the sidewalk when I run back and forth on this stretch, because the sidewalk is so damaged (and completely blocked off in two areas) that I can’t physically access the sidewalk in places.

The rest of the town, with the exception of a very small downtown area, is either completely lacking sidewalks or the sidewalks start and end at will. It’s almost like sidewalks have been deposited here by a SimCity novice, placed just to get the residential zoning to grow. This lack of sidewalk might be okay if there were shoulders instead that were wide enough to run on. But alas, that is also not the case. Often the road’s edge ends so abruptly that the white line marking the edge of the road is eroding into the gulley. I don’t mind running on technical terrain, but even I can’t navigate that morass.

For fun, I did a little experiment to see exactly how much of the town was runnable. I embarked on this adventure one early morning run, as I resolved to only run on sidewalks and turn around when they ended. In 75 minutes, I had to make no less than 13 full stops to turn around. I didn’t count where the sidewalk was so damaged it should really be called scree. I ran through the places where bushes and trees had almost completely obstructed the sidewalk.

The price of this folly was a branch that slapped into my face so violently, it bled.

Adding to the joys of running here, I’ve yet to go on a run where I don’t get honked at, perhaps because I’ve chosen to run in a sports bra (on warmer mornings). Or perhaps because I’m dancing along a minuscule shoulder. Or perhaps this is just a friendly southern hello? All of the above?

Even better, it’s more often accompanied by catcalls and shouts. Every run is truly a delight.

So it’s not runnable. So what?

Well, if it isn’t runnable, it’s also not walkable. And definitely not bike-able. Recent research suggests that people feel more connected to their towns if they can walk from place to place. For a town trying revitalize the downtown, I think we want to encourage people to travel from place to place on foot, not dissuade them. Plus, moving at least 20 minutes a day is proven to improve mental, emotional, and physical health. Don’t we want this for all residents, not just runners and cyclists?

I hope we do.

To help, I have a few suggestions:

First, build more sidewalks. It seems like a fairly simple solution, but then again, I’ve already noted I think city planning is like playing SimCity, so I’m no expert here.

Second, create some marketing about how to respond to runners for residents. I think a quick reminder that it’s not okay to honk or shout at runners is a nice start. Suggesting that drivers get out of the way of runners would be a super bonus. In a family-centeric town, perhaps you might even ask residents to consider how they’d like their daughters, sisters, mothers, or other women they care about to be treated when they were running and behave accordingly.

Third, truly delightful would be adding some more running and biking trails. I’ll even help. I’ll plan them, reach out for sponsors, find funding, sit in city planning meetings, anything.

I’m desperate.

And I just want to love our town and make it better.

Sincerely,

Cilantro

P.S. You can reach me almost every morning along the bike lane. Depending on the day, I might be there for hours.

Has your community taken steps to be more pedestrian-friendly? Have you chosen where you lived based on its runnability?

The #MeToo hashtag has dominated our social media feeds lately, and rightly so. Created to bring awareness to the significant and consistent sexual violence, harassment and rape that women have been — and are — victims of on a daily basis, the #MeToo movement has given women a platform to share their stories, even including four United States senators.

Our mission at Salty Running is to create a safe space where we can share our stories and build a community that empowers us as runners and as women. We share our #MeToo stories today not to scare you or as proof that running is just too dangerous for women. We’ve moved past perceptions that women can’t run because they are not physically able or because it is not safe for women to be alone. Indeed, the prevalence of #MeToo stories across social media indicates that it is often simply dangerous and precarious to be a woman, and running does not increase our risk of harassment or attack. We’re just as likely to be harassed at work, the gym, in the subway or online.

We’ve written before about the prevalence of harassment women runners experience on the run, from honking and catcalling to physical assault. We share our #MeToo stories today because we view it as critically important to continue to raise awareness that daily, persistent abuse, harassment and even assault continues to affect all women, not just women runners. Rape, assault, and harassment are about power, not how we look or what we wear. By continuing to run, we demonstrate that we will not be silenced. We run because we can.

We run because we must.

Shalane Flanagan, in the introduction to First Ladies of Running, describes her mother’s marginalizing experiences as a runner in the 1970s: “It wasn’t unusual for her to be pelted by cans or bottles from passing motorists.” Women’s running has come a long way since then, and certainly since men banned us from running long distances to protect our uteri. Just as our early women running pioneers paved the way for us to run, we continue to run because we know that running not only increases our self-confidence physically but increases our self-efficacy in every aspect of our lives. By continuing to run, we fight not only for ourselves but for our future.

We will not be silent. We will persist.

As a group of women runners writing primarily for other women runners, we know that we are not telling you something you didn’t already know. Harassment and fear have become burdens that we accept and carry with us as we run. Bergamot shared her story of assault on the run earlier this year. Meanwhile, I, Cilantro, have yet to have a run outside in my new home without a least a honk; more often than not this is accompanied by catcalling. For a few runs last year, I was followed by a large white van. My story, these stories, are not unique.

This is not okay.

While the #MeToo movement is not a solution in itself to the problem of violence against women, it is important that we recognize and acknowledge how common these experiences are. Sexual harassment, rape, and assault are never our fault, no matter what we are wearing, where we are running, or who we are running with. Too long, women have been silenced or ignored. But now, as the #MeToo movement helps us tell our stories to a broader audience, ignorance is no longer an excuse — not that it ever was a valid one.

The burden for change is not on women runners. We do not need to change what we wear, where we run, who we run with or what we carry. Instead, men must stop assaulting and harassing women. All of us must stop accepting and normalizing violence and silencing the voices of the victims. We will not be silent.

Nevertheless, we run.

Nevertheless, we persist.

The following stories detail just a few of the harrowing experiences Salties have had on the run and may be triggering for those who have experienced sexual assault or harassment.

It’s that time of year again! After a long winter of slogging out miles on the treadmill, the ladies are again venturing outdoors. It won’t be long until we’re flooded with articles reminding us of the many ways these ladies are asking to be attacked by creeps every time they leave the house. You know the ones telling women they should never run without varying their routes, or bringing mace, a phone, that plastic claw-thing that turns them into Cat Woman, their barbed … uh … inserts, and their Rottweilers?

But the research suggests there are more sure-fire ways for women to run safely and here they are.Read more >>

It was a Monday that started out like any other day since I’ve lived in Spain. I lazily ate breakfast, worked on my laptop, and headed to my favorite coffee shop for an espresso. I was purposely putting my run off until that evening, because the hot water boiler in my apartment was broken and wouldn’t be able to get a post-run shower in until then. I didn’t mind this. I go on night runs all the time. After all, I’m the Saltine that wrote the post titled, I’m Not an F’ing Morning Runner.

As I sipped from the ceramic coffee shop mug, deep in thought about this and that, I didn’t know by the time I got to that shower, I’d be harassed three times and physically assaulted twice.

Every day lately, there’s a new viral article about the harassment and threats women runners face when daring to run in public. It’s like suddenly publishers and social media users everywhere learned what dedicated women runners have known all along — women runners deal with annoying, intimidating, or even threatening harassment frequently. How novel!

So now the media has graduated from telling women what they should do to run without being attacked, while blithely ignoring helpful tips that would render all of those unhelpful tips unnecessary, such as telling men not to rape, murder, catcall, grope, comment, scream at, or make lewd gestures at women runners or anyone, for that matter. We’ve graduated to recognizing the problem is bigger than the few senseless murders that grab all the headlines. A step in the right direction?

If nothing else, this is a great jumping off point for further discussion. Here let’s start with a couple of questions:

Have you ever felt physically threatened or been harassed while running?

Does the threat of harassment or physical harm factor into your decisions about running? If so, how?

★ Join us at 7:00 p.m. EDT tonight (Monday) for #SaltyChat on Twitter, where we will discuss this very important topic in more depth. ★

As I ran this morning on the treadmill, I watched Fox News cover the story of the female runners who had been recently murdered while out on a run. I watched the story transition from one about potential connections between the murders to one where a trained individual showed two women how to protect themselves from a stranger attack while on a run. He mimicked running behind each runner and using their ponytails to yank them back and pull them off balance.

The image was almost panic-inducing. I imagined myself, out on a run, often the only person running on the trails around my local urban park. I found myself watching carefully to see what tips I could pick up to protect myself should I encounter a serial killer on my run.

But as I ran ostensibly safely on a treadmill inside a large, local big-box gym, I started to really think about the message this coverage was sending. Are we really in this much danger when we run and, if we are, what obligations do we have to protect ourselves? Read more >>

Spring brings flowers, blue skies, and a yearly flood of articles on how to run safely outdoors as a woman. With such original victim-blaming nuggets as “don’t run by yourself in the dark” or “don’t say where you plan to run on social media” and, my personal favorite, “don’t run on the trails alone!” Because if someone decides to attack me, it’s definitely the woods’ fault.

I’m not making light of violence against women. I’ve been violently mugged, which is just punishment, apparently, for feeling so entitled as to leave my house after dark. Nor do I have a solution, though sometimes I think we should all be learning Krav Maga so that people who want to f*ck with us will deeply regret their decision. But I deeply resent the suggestion that fear should rule our actions, or the insinuation that letting down our guard and enjoying our time alone in nature means we’re inviting trouble. Most of all, I despise the fact that there is now a whole fear industry that wants to profit on our fear and vulnerability with a vast array of pink, sharp, made in China “personal defense” items for women like that cat-shaped claw thing! To hurt people with! Idk just give us your credit card number kthxbye.

Which just begs the question, are you really going to inflict damage with three-inch plastic cat ears to anything except your own hand? I’m all in favor of cat-shaped anything, but when it comes to self-defense, let’s not settle for that cheap plastic crap. Let’s go back to a time when settling interpersonal conflicts with artisanal blunt objects was the order of the day. Medieval weaponry is the next big thing in safety, ladies. Read more >>

Last winter in Connecticut, Michael Walsh went for a run from his home. He was tragically hit and killed by a snow plow while running in the early morning darkness, on the wrong side of the street, under low-visibility weather conditions, wearing headphones, a white t-shirt and black pants, but without a light or any reflective gear on. Michael sadly made a lot of road safety mistakes that put him in danger.

Nine years earlier, at high-noon on a clear, warm Tuesday afternoon, wearing a florescent yellow shirt and running into traffic without music, I was hit by a car. The driver smashed into me going 35 miles per hour. I landed 50 feet away. The rescue squad came to scrape me off the pavement. Against all odds, I got up and limped away.

While runners on social media debate whether to carry mace or what headlamp is the best for running at night so you can see the sidewalk cracks, there’s another safety issue that most runners don’t consider. The majority of us, at some point, will run on roads. Whether we run on them in the dark or in broad daylight, running on the road is perhaps the most dangerous situation we put ourselves into while running.

Should we be surprised she made it to the finish line in one piece? Flickr image by Phil Roeder.

“What were you wearing?” That is exactly what my supposed friend asked me when I called her shortly after I was stalked while running. “Excuse me?” was all I could form my lips to utter. I was very upset. Hurtfully, that was the response from many other women. Not that it mattered, but I was in my usual running attire: running bra, shorts, shoes, and socks. Fortunately the police did not care what I was wearing. Stalking is against the law and they took action.

My incident happened over 10 years ago and I am distressed that the same thing is still happening. We are still blaming women for actions that men may or may not take based on clothing. Read more >>

As if it’s not enough to worry about human predators while we’re running, there’s a whole other species to watch out for in summer: snakes.

Runner’s Worldsays it’s rare to encounter snakes on a run, but the editors must be spending too much time in the city. I’ve leapt over three on the trail in the past month alone. In New England, where I live, we’ve had a lot of rain, and rain flushes snakes out of hiding. So does the sun. Snakes like to sunbathe, just like humans.

At summer’s peak, they’re more active at night, but as fall approaches, they’ll move around more during the day; they’re most active in spring and fall, so trail runners need to keep an eye out for the narrow fellows lurking in the grass. I’m pretty sure they’ve got it out for runners in particular, since we have such magnificent legs and they’ve got none.

The snakes I leapt over seemed harmless enough, but then it occurred to me that I know nothing about snakes except that one offered an apple to Adam and Eve, and that didn’t turn out so great. Read more >>

To run with or without music? That is the question runners have been debating since the dawn of the walkman. You probably won’t be surprised to know that I am firmly in the anti-music camp for the most part. But this post isn’t about trying to convince you why I’m right because let’s face it, of course I am!

I’m kidding! No, this post is about sharing my observations about why if you run with music, you might be missing out on something great, underperforming or putting yourself in harm’s way.

Before I get into that, I do have an exception to my no music rule. Read more >>

Without fail, the first question someone usually asks when she finds out I’m a New York City runner is, “Do you run in Central Park?” The answer? “Well no…I live in Brooklyn, so that’s a little far. And mostly I prefer to run on the streets.” And the next question, without fail is, “Is that safe?”

I’m fully confident that urban running is just as safe as running on a country road or a trail through the woods, we just have to use a different set of guidelines to do it safely than our sisters in the country. Even the most naive among us knows that we have to be careful when roaming city streets alone; especially if you’re a woman, and especially if you’re a woman wearing short shorts and a tight shirt and running faster than a city bus. Read more >>

Even though the Boston Marathon is still two months away, the course is already busy on weekend mornings. Locals start running the course – portions of it, at least – in January, ignoring the cold, snow, and hostility of sedentary motorists unwilling to share the road.

Witness the complaint (right) to the Hopkinton Police Department:

Officer O’Brien’s fine police work notwithstanding, let’s be honest: At one point, the runners probably were in the lane. And what of it? Middle-of-the-road running is sometimes necessary when there is three feet of dirty snow on the road shoulder, and icy trails are impassable.

We shouldn’t run in the road when there’s a car bearing down, of course. But when there’s a break in the traffic, what’s wrong with a careful runner occupying the blacktop? Bicyclists are allowed there. Read more >>

These runners are illuminated, but not reflective. Would you see them from a car? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Even though the worst of winter is behind us and the days are (slowly) getting longer, many of us are still heading to and from work in the dark. Which means that, as far as our weekday runs are concerned, we’re in the dark. Still. Hopefully most of you are only facing another few weeks of this, but it’s never too late to go over basic safety.

If you already feel like a running in the dark pro, you can check to make sure you’re being as safe as you can (hint: eating your carrots is not enough!) If you’ve been avoiding heading outside in the darkness, perhaps you’ll be inspired to get off the treadmill and back onto the roads where you’d rather be. Read more >>